Clock silencing device



May 2, 1933. .1. WALDHEKM I CLOCK SILENCING DEVICE Fil ed Feb. 18, 1927 Patented May 2, 1933 PATENT @FFKIE JOHN WALDHEIM, F ELIZABETH, JERSEY CLOCK SILENGING BEVICE Application filed February 18, 122?. Serial 1%. 169,137.

This invention relates to a clock silencing device.

The ticking of a clock in a bedroom has, in many cases, proved an annoyance to the extent of preventing people from sleeping, and for this reason many persons who would like to have a clock in their bedroom are deprived of the convenience of an alarm clock to awaken them because the ticking sound of the f clock keeps them from falling asleep, and in the absence of an alarm clock they must depend on others for awakening them. The present invention provides means for *ilencing the ticking sound of the clock. To this end there is provided a sound proof casing including an outer shell which may be lined with sound deadening material such as felt. The casing includes a body partwhich encases the clock, and a door which may be pivoted on the body part so that it may be opened in order to put the clock in the case, to give access to the winding handles of the clock, or enable the alarm of the clock to be heard.

A feature of the invention relates to means to automatically release a latch, which normally holds the door shut, so that the door may be automatically opened to let the sound out of the casing so that the alarm may readily be heard when it is sounded in order to awaken the sleeping person.

Another feature relates to means to arrest the door in a partially open position, sufficient to enable the alarm to be heard. The door is arrested in this position to keep it from accidentally striking other objects which may be located near it.

A further feature of the invention relates to means to release the door from its partially opened position, at will, so that it may be completely opened in order to wind the clock or permit its removal.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the casing showing an alarm clock therein.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The casing or cabinet 5 includes a body part 6 and a door 7 both of which may be die cast. The body part and door are pro vided, respectively, with lugs 10 and 11 through which passes a rod 12 to form a hinge 13 for said door.

The body part 6 is provided, at its end' opposite the door 7, with a cylindrical sight opening 1 1- through which the face of an alarm clc 15 n ay be observed. Said sight opening is closed by a circular, glass or other transparent plate 16 which is support 60 ed in the casing by a shouldered ring 17 of sound deadening material, which material mav be of felt, said ring 17 being eifective to keep the plate 16 from touching the body part or shell 6. "i

The shell 6 may be substantially cylindrical and is provided with a lining 18 of sound deadening material. A pad 20 of sound deadening material covers the floor 21 of the body part 6 and the feet 22 of the f t clock rest upon said pad. A flat ring 23 of sound deadening material holds the plate 16 on the shoulder 21 of the ring 17. The ring 24 is wide enough to keep the front of the clock 15 from touching the glass plate 16 so?? as to prevent the sound vibration of the clock from being transmitted to said plate. The lining 18 and the pad 20 abut against the ring 23 to hold it, the glass plate 1.6 and the ring 17 in place, said lining and pad be-: ing secured in position in any convenient manner as for example by glue. The casing is further lined with a flat piece 25 of sound deadening material on the door 7 and which may be secured. thereto in any convenient-$ manner. Strips 26 of sound deadening material may be provided between the ends of the lining 18 and the pad 20.

It will be understood that the ends of the lining 18 form with the pad 20 a clearance-9 cut-out 27 for the feet 22 of the clock. A clearance cut-out 28 is provided in the lining 18, at the top of the casing, for the carrying ring 30 of the clock and the post 31 to which said ring is connected.

It will also be understood that the plate 13 forms with the clock crystal 32, a double closure, at the front of the casing, with an air or sound insulating chamber 32 therebetween.

It will readily be understood that when the door 7 is swung to the position A, in Figure 2, that the clock may be removed from or inserted into the casing or that the clock winding handle 32 and the alarm winding handle 33 may be manipulated. After the clock has been placed into the casing, and against the ring 23, it may be secured in place by a split spring ring 34 which may be contracted by two finger pieces 35 to permit its insertion into the casing, against the back of the clock, and which expands to grip the lining 18, to assist in holding the clock in the case against accidental displacement.

To keep the door 7 closed there is provided a latch element 37 which may be supported on said door. The latch has a portion 37 which engages behind a lug 38 inte ml with the body part 6 of the casing.

e latch element is secured to a stub shaft 40 which serves as a pivot and is supported in a boss 41 on the door 7; said shaft being provided with a finger piece 42 by which the atch element may be operated manually to open the door at will. Said latch element includes an arm 43 which plays between two ins 44 and 45 to limit its motion in either irection.

It is desirable to silence the clock so that the ticking sound thereof cannot be heard as above explained. It is also desirable to hear the alarm 45" of the clock when it is sounded. Accordingly provision is made to automatically open the door 7 when the alarm is sounding. To this end the arm 43 of the latch element is provided with a projection or pin 46 which extends into the path of the alarm winding handle 33. As soon as the alarm starts to sound the handle 33 rotates in a reverse winding direction (clockwise in Figure 1) to engage the pin 46 to swing the latch element 37 about the axis of the shaft 40 to swing the portion clear of the lug 38. The door may then be swung, by gravity, about the axis of the hinge 13, since the center of gravity of the door is to one side of the axis of said hinge, to let the sound of the alarm out of the casing.

To arrest the door in a partially open position and prevent it from striking other objects which may be near it, the latch element is provided with an arm 47 having another engaging portion or stop 48 to engage the lug 38 to arrest the door 7 in position B, Figure 2. The latch arm 43 may be provided with a weight 50 which tends to return the latch to its normal position on the door.

When the door is to be opened to the position A, from the position B, the latch element may be differently actuated by the fingerplece 42 to swing the stop 48 clear of the lug 38. When the door 7 is completely open, as in position A, access may be had to the clock for winding or removal from the casing.

The casing may be provided with a base 51 to which are secured feet 52 of sound deadening material to support the casing.

It will be understood that in order to sto the alarm the door is opened to po ition K so that the alarm stopping lever (not shown) may be reached.

While certain preferred embodiments of this device have been shown and described, it will be understood that changes in the form, arrangements, proportions, sizes and details thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention having thus been described, it is desired to claim andsecure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a clock having an alarm, and alarm winding means, a clocksilencing casing, said casing'including a body part to enclose the clock, a door on said casing, a latch carried by said door, said latch being operable by the alarm winding means to effect the opening of said door so that the alarm may be heard when sounded.

2. The combination with a clock, of a silencing casing to encase the clock so that the ticking sound of the clock can not be" heard, said casing including a door, and means to facilitate automatic opening of the door at a predetermined period.

3. Asound deadening casin for an alarm clock having an alarm win 'ng key, said casing including a door, and a latch carried by said door and operable by said winding key to efiect the opening of the door automatically to let the sound of the alarm out of the casing.

4. A sound deadening casing for an alarm clock having a winding key, said casing having a door pivoted at its lower end, a atch pivoted on the door, a lug on the casing to be engaged by the latch to keep the door closed, said latch being operable by the winding key to disengage said lug so that the door may swing open under the influence of gravity about its pivot, and a stop to arrest the door ajar.

5. A sound deadening casing for an alarm clock having an alarm windin key, said casing including a shell, a door pivoted on said shell and operable to two positions, a pivot stud on said door, a latch secured to the pivot stud, said latch engaging said shell to keep the door closed and operable by the alarm winding key to swin it out of engagement with the shell to e ect the opening of the door, a stop on the latch to engage the shell to arrest the door ajar in its first position to let the sound of the alarm out of the casing, said pivot stud extending through the door to the exterior of the casing, and a finger-piece on said stud of said door to let out the sound of the alarm.

1 7. A clock-silencing casing including a main portion to encase an alarm clock, a

7 door on said main portion, and a latch to hold the door closed, said latch to be engaged' by the clock to actuate said latch at a predetermined period to effect the opening of the door so that the alarm may be heard.

8. A clock-silencing casing to encase an alarm clock, a door on said casing, means operable by the clock to effect the opening of said door to let the sound of the alarm out, and means to arrest the door in a partially open position.

9. The combination with a clock having an alarm, and alarm Winding means, ineluding a finger piece, of a silencing casmg for said clock to deaden the ticking sound of the clock, a door on said casing, means operable by said finger piece to effect a partial opening of said door when the alarm is sounding to let the sound of the alarm out of the casing, means to arrest said door in a partially open position while the alarm sounding, and manual means to actuate the arresting means to release said door from its partially open position so that it may be completely opened to give access to the clock.

10. Asilencing casing for a clock including an outer shell, a door at one end of said shell to facilitate the insertion of the clock, said casing having a sight opening at the end opposite the door, a transparent closure for said sight opening, means to insulate the closure from the casing, means to insulate the clock from the shell and the closure, and means to hold the clock rigidly in the casing.

11. The combination of an alarm clock, a sound-proof cabinet to enclose said clock to deaden the ticking sound thereof, time controlled means, and means operable by the time controlled means to alter the condition of said cabinet to render it non-sound-proof so that the sounding of the alarm may be clearly audible.

12. The combination of an alarm clock, a sound-proof cabinet to enclose said clock to deaden the ticking sound thereof, time controlled means, means operable by the time controlled means to effect the opening of the cabinet to render the cabinet temporarily non-sound-proof so that the sound of the alarm may be clearly audible, and means to effect the closing of said cabinet at will to render it sound-proof.

13. A silencing cabinet to enclose an alarm clock, a door on said cabinet, means operable by said clock to effect the opening of said door to let out the sound of the alarm, and means to hold the clock against displacement in said cabinet while the opening or" the door is being effected.

14. A sound deadening cabinet for a clock, said cabinet including a metal case, sound insulating means for said metal case, a door on said case which is normally closed to keep the sound of the clock in the case, and means to automatically effect the opening of the door to let the sound out of the cabinet.

15. A sound deadening cabinet to enclose a clock, a door on said cabinet, a latch element to keep the door closed, means to actuate said latch element automatically to open the door partially to let the sound of the clock out of the cabinet, and manual means to actuate said latch element through a different extent to effect a full opening of the door to give access to the clock for winding;

16. A sound deadening cabinet to enclose a clock, a door on said cabinet, a latch ele ment to keep the door closed, an engaging portion on said latch element to co-operate with the clock to automatically open the door, and a finger piece connected to said latch element and located at the exterior of said cabinet so that the latch may be actuated to effect the opening of the door at will to give access to the clock for winding or removal.

17. A silencing cabinet for a clock, a door on said cabinet, a latch element to keep said door closed, a pivot for said latch element, means to automatically actuate said latch element to effect the opening of the door to let the sound of the clock out of the cabinet, said pivot extending to the exterior of said cabinet so that the latch may be actuated manually to effect the opening of the door at will to give access to the clock for winding or removal.

18. A silencing cabinet for a clock, a door on said cabinet, a latch element, two engaging portions on the latch, a co-operative element to be engaged by either engaging portion, one of said engaging portions co-operating with the co-operating element to keep the door closed, means to automatically actuate said latch element to carry the last mentioned engaging portion out of engagement with the co-operating element to effect the opening of' the door to let the sound of the clock out of the cabinet, the other engaging portion of the latch element being effective to engage the co-operative element to arrest the door ajar, and manual means to subsequently actuate the latch element to disengage the last mentioned engaging portion from the (lo-operating element to effect a complete opening of the door to give access to the clock.

19. A silencing cabinet for a clock, said cabinet including a door, means to hold the door closed to keep the sound of the clock within the cabinet, means within the cabinet operable by the clock to actuate the holding means to effect the o ening of the door to let the sound of the c ock out of the cabinet, and means on the outside of said cabinet by 'which the holding means may be actuated to eflect the opening of the cabinet at will.

20. A silencing cabinet for a clock having a winding key, a door on said cabinet, an element to keep said door closed, means operable by the key to actuate the holding element to effect the o ening of the door to let the sound of the c ock out of the cabinet, and means on said holding element to assist in arresting the door in its open position.

21. A silencing cabinet for a clock having a winding key, a door on said cabinet, an element to keep said door closed, means operable by the key to actuate the holding element to efl'ect the opening of the door to let the sound of the clock out of the (abinet, a stop, a member on said holding means to engage the stop to arrest the door ajar to let the sound out of the cabinet, and manual means to disengage said member from said stop to effect a further opening of the door to give accem to the clock for winding.

22. A silencing cabinet for a clock, said cabinet including an outer shell, a window in the cabinet and at the face of the clock, means to insulate the window from said shell, means to insulate the clock from the window, and means at the top, bottom, sides and back of the clock to insulate it from the shell.

23. The combination of a sound emitting device, a sound deadening casing for said device, a door on said casing, and time controlled means to effect the opening of said door at a predetermined period to let the sound of said device out of the casing.

24. The combination with a clock, of a sound deadening casing for said clock, a door on said casmg, means controlled by the clock to effect the opening of said door, and means to limit the opening of said door.

.25. The combination with a clock having keys, a face, and an escapement, of means to deaden the sound produced by the escapement, said means comprising a sound deadening casing to enclose the clock, said casing including a door at said keys of the clock which may be opened to give access to said keys, said casing having an aperture through which the clock face may be observed, and a transparent closure for said aperture.

26. The combination with a clock, of a sound deadening casing to enclose the clock,

" said casing including a body part, a door on said body part, and means on said casing to arrest the door in a plurality of positions.

27. The combination with a clock, of a sound deadening casing to enclose the clock, a door on said casing, and means by which, the door may be kept closed or arrested in an open position.

28. The combination with an alarm clock of a sound deadening casing therefor, sai casing comprising two elements, namely, a hollow body part having an aperture through which the clock may be inserted, a closure for said aperture, and means operable by the clock to actuate one of said elements to open said casing to let out the, sound of the alarm.

' 29. The combination with a clock, of I. sound deadening cabinet therefor, said cabinet comprising a body part and a door thereon, means to hold the door closed, at]; stop to arrest the door in open position, and means to simultaneously render the holdin means ineffective to permit the opening 0 the door and actuate the stop and render it effective to arrest the door in its open posh. tion, said stop when active assisting to support the door.

30. The combination with an alarm clock having an alarm key, of a sound deadening cabinet therefor, said cabinet comprising a 3: body part and a door thereon, means to hold the door closed, means to arrest the door in atpartially open position to let out the sound 0 the alarm, means operable by the clock to render the holding means ineflective to no effect the opening of the door and to render the arresting means efiective to arrest the door in its partially open osition to let the sound of the alarm out o the casing, and manual means to subsequently render the. i arresting means ineffective to permit of a further opening of the door to give access to the clock to stop the sounding of the alarm, and to give access also to the alarm winding key to permit winding of the alarm for future use.

31. The combination with an alarm clock, of a sound deadening casing therefor including a door, and means to produce a two-step opening of the door, said means including a device operable by the clock to effect a partial opening of the door to let out the sound of the alarm, and a device whereby a further opening of the door may be effected at will from its partially open position to give access to the clock for stopping the alarm.

32. The combination with an alarm clock having an alarm winding key, of a sound deadening casing for said clock, said casing comprising a body part, and a door thereon, and means to effect a two-step opening of the door, said means including a latch, a device associated with said latch and operable by the alarm winding key to effect a partial opening of the door to let the sound 1 out of the cabinet, and a device operable at Will to subsequently actuate said latch to effect a further opening of the door from its partially open position.

33. The combination with an alarm clock having a bell and a hammer to strike said bell, of means independent of said bell to control the effective sound of the latter, and means to actuate the controlling means automatically to alter the effective sound of said bell While it is being sounded.

In witness whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

I JOHN WALDHEIM. 

